1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ownership sharing method and apparatus using a secret key in a home network remote controller. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ownership sharing method and apparatus that uses a secret key in a home network remote controller, in which a user having an ownership of a home device generates an ownership authentication key using the secret key shared with the home device through his terminal device, transmits the ownership authentication key to a terminal device of a particular user who wishes to share the ownership, and the particular user can use the home device using the shared ownership authentication key.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a home network system is a network system capable of performing for intelligent communications by performing network matching between a home network and outside networks.
In the home network, various home devices may be wirelessly interconnected and consist of information devices, audio/video (A/V) devices, control system devices and dummy devices. The information devices may be personal computers, faxes, scanners and printers. The A/V devices may be televisions, set-top boxes, digital video disks (DVDs), video cassette recorders (VCRs), audio, camcorder and domestic games. Additionally, the control system devices may be coffee makers, electric rice cookers, refrigerators, microwave ovens and cameras. The dummy devices may be remote controllers, interphones, sensors and lights.
The home devices generally form one network and home network users share all the home devices. According to the nature of each home device, devices can be used only by an owner or manager of the home device, or each home device can be limited to specific users.
To satisfy a such user's requirement, a method of setting available devices and unavailable devices for each user by a home network's manager has been suggested. However, if it is difficult to apply this method when the user accessing the home network has a family or a roommate. Since each user may individually have different devices and may have different devices available to other people, it is impossible for one manager to set permission for each home device which is owned or managed by each user.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method of guaranteeing security and privacy for the use of each home device by setting permission for each user by an owner or manager for each home device when there is an owner or manager for each home device in a home network and also when there are multiple users.